Erwin (ID 123078) v. Zmuda

District Court, D. Kansas·Decided November 10, 2022·No. 5:22-cv-03170·Unknown

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF KANSAS

CHRISTOPHER ADAM ERWIN,

Plaintiff,

v. CASE NO. 22-3170-JWL-JPO

JEFF ZMUDA, et al.,

Defendants.

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE

Plaintiff Christopher Adam Erwin is hereby required to show good cause, in writing to the undersigned, why this action should not be dismissed due to the deficiencies in Plaintiff’s Amended Complaint that are discussed herein. Plaintiff is also given the opportunity to file a second amended complaint to cure the deficiencies. I. Nature of the Matter before the Court Plaintiff is incarcerated at the Lansing Correctional Facility in Lansing, Kansas (“LCF”). Plaintiff brings this case under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Plaintiff proceeds pro se and in forma pauperis. Plaintiff initiated this action by filing a 134-page Complaint. Before the Complaint was fully screened, Plaintiff submitted a 113-page Motion for Preliminary Injunction (Doc. 5) and a 313-page Amended Complaint (Doc. 6). Plaintiff alleges that his Eighth Amendment rights were violated by defendants’ deliberate indifference, failure to protect, and failure to act. (Doc. 6, at 14–15.) He claims he is being discriminated against in violation of the ADA based on his diabetes, and that he is being retaliated against for complaining. Id. Plaintiff claims that Jeff Zmuda, the KDOC Secretary of Corrections, failed to supervise all of the other defendants. Id. Plaintiff names 44 defendants, including KDOC staff, staff from the El Dorado Correctional Facility (“EDCF”), staff from Aramark, staff from Centurion, and the Warden and Deputy Warden from LCF. Plaintiff seeks injunctive relief in the form of a court order ruling that he “be given [his] prescribed insulins consistently according to [his] MAR as prescribed by the Provider, as defined by the Centurion-KDOC contract, and that Centurion stock adequate

supplies.” Id. at 16. Plaintiff also seeks: a) The carbohydrate info for each item on the 2200 diabetic menu b) A minimum of 2 oz shelf stable protein in my 2200 snack sack at dinner c) My strict diet portions as prescribed and as stipulated by the ACS Dietician d) Regular timing of both meals and insulin each day e) Max of $100,000 punitive damages from Centurion defendant f) Max of $200,000 punitive damages from Aramark defendant g) Max of $200,000 punitive damages from KDOC Defendants h) I’d like a jury to decide my case please and decide how much to penalize each defendant specifically

Doc. 6–1, at 1. II. Statutory Screening of Prisoner Complaints The Court is required to screen complaints brought by prisoners seeking relief against a governmental entity or an officer or an employee of a governmental entity. 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(a). The Court must dismiss a complaint or portion thereof if a plaintiff has raised claims that are legally frivolous or malicious, that fail to state a claim upon which relief may be granted, or that seek monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such relief. 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b)(1)–(2). “To state a claim under § 1983, a plaintiff must allege the violation of a right secured by the Constitution and laws of the United States, and must show that the alleged deprivation was committed by a person acting under color of state law.” West v. Atkins, 487 U.S. 42, 48 (1988) (citations omitted); Northington v. Jackson, 973 F.2d 1518, 1523 (10th Cir. 1992). A court liberally construes a pro se complaint and applies “less stringent standards than formal pleadings drafted by lawyers.” Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 94 (2007). In addition, the court accepts all well-pleaded allegations in the complaint as true. Anderson v. Blake, 469 F.3d 910, 913 (10th Cir. 2006). On the other hand, “when the allegations in a complaint, however true, could not raise a claim of entitlement to relief,” dismissal is appropriate. Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly,

550 U.S. 544, 558 (2007). A pro se litigant’s “conclusory allegations without supporting factual averments are insufficient to state a claim upon which relief can be based.” Hall v. Bellmon, 935 F.2d 1106, 1110 (10th Cir. 1991). “[A] plaintiff’s obligation to provide the ‘grounds’ of his ‘entitlement to relief’ requires “more than labels and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action.” Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555 (citations omitted). The complaint’s “factual allegations must be enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level” and “to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Id. at 555, 570. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals has explained “that, to state a claim in federal court,

a complaint must explain what each defendant did to [the pro se plaintiff]; when the defendant did it; how the defendant’s action harmed [the plaintiff]; and, what specific legal right the plaintiff believes the defendant violated.” Nasious v. Two Unknown B.I.C.E. Agents, 492 F.3d 1158, 1163 (10th Cir. 2007). The court “will not supply additional factual allegations to round out a plaintiff’s complaint or construct a legal theory on a plaintiff’s behalf.” Whitney v. New Mexico, 113 F.3d 1170, 1173-74 (10th Cir. 1997) (citation omitted). The Tenth Circuit has pointed out that the Supreme Court’s decisions in Twombly and Erickson gave rise to a new standard of review for § 1915(e)(2)(B)(ii) dismissals. See Kay v. Bemis, 500 F.3d 1214, 1218 (10th Cir. 2007) (citations omitted); see also Smith v. United States, 561 F.3d 1090, 1098 (10th Cir. 2009). As a result, courts “look to the specific allegations in the complaint to determine whether they plausibly support a legal claim for relief.” Kay, 500 F.3d at 1218 (citation omitted). Under this new standard, “a plaintiff must ‘nudge his claims across the line from conceivable to plausible.’” Smith, 561 F.3d at 1098 (citation omitted). “Plausible” in this context does not mean “likely to be true,” but rather refers “to the scope of the allegations in

a complaint: if they are so general that they encompass a wide swath of conduct, much of it innocent,” then the plaintiff has not “nudged [his] claims across the line from conceivable to plausible.” Robbins v. Oklahoma, 519 F.3d 1242, 1247 (10th Cir. 2008) (citing Twombly, 127 S. Ct. at 1974). III. DISCUSSION 1. Previous Action It appears that Plaintiff has raised these same claims or similar claims in a prior case. See Erwin v. Zmuda, Case No. 21-3213-SAC. In that action, Plaintiff alleged the denial of proper accommodations and care for his diabetic medical condition and named as defendants “Jeff

Zmuda, EDCF’s Warden and over 40 other defendants, most of whom work in some capacity at EDCF, some of whom are employed by Aramark Food Services, and some of whom are employed by Centurion.” Id. at Doc. 10, at 1. Plaintiff alleged constitutional violations and violations of the American with Disabilities Act. Id. Plaintiff sought relief similar to the relief he seeks in his current case. See id. at 1–2. The Court entered a 39-page Memorandum and Order detailing the deficiencies in Plaintiff’s complaint and ordering him to show good cause why the action should not be dismissed. Id.

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